Moonlight 4K (2016) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX

Moonlight tells the story of Chiron, a young man who comes of age during the War on Drugs era in Miami. Set in three different time periods as Chiron battles a deteriorating home life and deals with his dawning sexuality.

Moonlight 4K (2016) Ultra HD 2160p REMUX
Moonlight is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.38:1. For some basic technical background on this shoot, I refer you to our Moonlight Blu-ray review, but I have to say for a digitally shot feature finished at a 2K DI, this doesn't quite have the pop and overall increase in detail levels that I've seen in other similarly captured and finished releases put out by Lionsgate. There's quite a bit of judder in the many handheld and/or "jiggly cam" shots (and knowing that I'm perhaps more prone to experiencing this phenomenon, I had an "innocent bystander" give me his feedback, and he also was seeing it). There are definite upticks in detail levels on things like facial pores, and a couple of the nighttime scenes, notably the important beach sequences, have noticeably better shadow detail. There is also a definite new richness to some of the graded material, particularly some of those inky purples I mentioned in the review of the standard 1080p Blu-ray version. Occasionally noise tends to intrude a bit more than it did in the standard 1080p Blu- ray, typically when backgrounds are light (a bathroom sequence with white tiles covering the back of the frame is a notable example).

Moonlight is one of the most beautiful and heart-wrenching films that I have ever seen. Many users are expressing disdain or presumed it to be dull. Yet, to see it as such misses the whole point of the film. Moonlight wasn't intended to overtly wow us or give us knowledge about something we didn't already know. Rather the film allowed us to enter and follow a life that I'm sure many have never considered living. Yes, we know some about poverty, queerness, masculinity, and Blackness individually, but to see the conflict of it all so succinctly woven together allowed the complexity of some folks lives to be seen in an unadulterated way. Moonlight wasn't supposed to give us some grandiose finale or even answers, but simply present a narrative that we often don't see. And that's what makes it so simple, painful, yet outstandingly beautiful.

It's also important to remember that just because you don't understand something, that doesn't mean it is unimportant or invalid. Just because you can't relate to the entire story doesn't mean pieces of it can't teach you something about life. Just because the narrative is one that isn't widely told, doesn't mean it should be disregarded. If you don't understand this film or find it a waste, look deep inside yourself and ask why.